Braised Short Ribs with Mushrooms

A few months back, I posted a recipe for Grilled Short Ribs with a promise for a follow-up post with a recipe for a braised short ribs with red wine.

Sorry, no red wine braise tonight.  Tonight I tried something else because red wine was a tad boring and predictable.  OK I lied, I didn’t have an open bottle of red wine and didn’t want to spend too much money for dinner. 

Here’s a quick and simple recipe for Braised Short Ribs with Mushrooms.

Braised Short Ribs with Mushrooms served on garlic sweet potato mash

Ingredients:
Short Ribs (enough for 2)
Handful of button mushrooms, ripped to chunks
A few dried chinese mushrooms, soaked
One onion, finely chopped
Few cloves of garlic, chopped
Mushroom stock
One teaspoon of tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh oregano
Truffle oil (optional)

When you pick your ribs, go for thicker slabs because they’re better for braising.  Starting with your short ribs, cut them into one bone pieces.  

Heat your pan with medium-high heat then add a little oil.  Sear each piece until they all have a nice dark brown crust.  Contrary to popular belief, this does not “seal” the meat but it gives the meat a nice, deeper flavor.  After it’s seared, remove and set aside.  You might need to do this in batches.

In the same pan, add the onion and let it sweat over lower heat.  Scrap the pan well to remove any tasty bits stuck while you seared.  Add both the mushrooms and the garlic then let them cook until slightly softened.

Put the short ribs back and mix well.  Add enough stock to cover about 3/4 of the pan’s contents.  I added the water I used to soak the chinese mushrooms because they were organic and pesticide-free.  If you’re not sure about yours, then don’t.  Add the herbs and the tomato paste and a little salt then mix it well.  If the liquid is bubbling, reduce the heat to low then cover.  Leave for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how much you have.

You know it’s ready when the sauce is thickened and the meat is tender.  Taste and add salt and pepper if you prefer.  Drizzle with a little truffle oil if it’s your liking.  If your sauce is still too watery, remove all the contents then boil the sauce to reduce it.  Serve with rice.  I served mine with a garlic sweet potato mash.

Enjoy.